Display apparatus.



M. HEYMANN. DISPLAYAPPARATUS.` APPLICATION V-mco :n.zs, 1955.

Patented May 2, 1916.

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[NSPLAY APPARATUS.

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. Patented May 2, 1916.

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4 SHEETS UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEicE.

MAX HEYMANN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DISPLAY APPARATUS.

Application tiled January 25, 1915.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MAX HEYMANN, s ubject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Display Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, c oncise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to that class of advertising devices employing display belts that are arranged in zigzag formation.

The invention has for its object a novel construction whereby the spacing required for the belt structure is reduced.

I will explain my invention more fully by reference to the accompanying drawings showing the preferred embodiment thereof and in wliich Figure 1 is a front view; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the lighting equipment; Fig. 3 is a side view of the structure as it appears in Fig. 1, the case for the motor being shown in section; Fig. 4 is a plan view of the machine with the top of its casing removed; Fig. 5 is a sectional view on lin'e 5 5 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a view in plan, partially in section, of the structure at the left hand end of the device; Fig. 7 is a sectional plan View of the structure; Fig. 8 is an end sectional elevation; Fig. 9 is a view on line 9 9 of Fig. 10; Fig. 10 is a view on line 10 10 of Fig. 9; and Figs. 11 and 12, are. details respectively taken on lines 11 11 and 12 12 of Fig. 10.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughout the different lifvires.

The display belt 1 is provided with display areas 2 which are desirably in the form of unfilled perforations, these perforations being assembled to rformulate the elements of the display` matter such as Words, figuresy and symbols. The belt is caused to travel, preferably continuously, from right to left and is looped in a manner to present a limited area thereof to view. The forward stretch of the belt, as illustrated clearly in Figs. 1 and 7, is the portion thereof that is presented to view, this portion being ever changing owing t-o the preferably Vcontinuous movement which is imparted to the belt. A housing is provided for the equipment which -is in the form of a rectangular casing A desirably having its front Wall Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1916.

Serial No. 4,114. l

in the form of a pane of transparent glass 3, whereby there is constituted a display opening in the casing A through which the travcling `eelt may be viewed and the ever changing sign carried thereby may be seen. A source of light is provided behind the traveling belt, this light source being desirably formed of a plurality of lighting centers in the form of incandescent lamps 4 receivable within lamp sockets 5 that are mounted in the top side of a channel 6 which is secured to the bottom of the housing 7 by bolts l S, the space connedfby the channel and the bottom of the housing receiving the bottom portions of the Sockets and the circuit conductors 9 that extend thereto. The housing 7 is narrower at the back than at the front, the end walls converging toward each other rearwardly. The inner surfaces of the top, bottom, back, and end walls -of the housing act as refiecters to throw light forwardly so that it may more fully emanate through the perforations 2Ythere to cause lighted areas which contrast with the surrounding area afforded by the belt, the belt being desirably formed of paque material such as suitable paper. Inorder that the lighted arcas at the perforations 2 may be substantially homogeneous in appearance and in order that the lamps may not be individually seen by the observer I interpose a light diffusing or equalizing element bedown to drive at suliiciently slow speed to l afford time within which the characters that are presented tol View may be discerned and in whiehvthe language that theyA spell may be read if the characters happen to be in the form of word forming letters. Motion is transmitted from the motor 1'1 by means lof the belt i2 to the Worm 13, thence to the worm gear 14, and the intermediate pinion 15. The pinion 15 drives rollers 16 through the intermediation of the pinions 17 and idler pinions 18. The rollers 16 thus constitute initially driven rollers, being located at the right liand end of the easing A and there turning in such direction as to cause the front and display stretch of the belt 1 to travel to the left between the glass panes 3 and 10.`

Any particular perforation or display area 2 upon the display belt may be traced in its travel from the foremost driving roller 16, thence between the panes of glass 3 and 10 over the foremost idler roller 19, the rear most idler 20, the guide 21, which is preferably stationary, the guide 22 which is also preferably stationary, the rearmost driving roller 16, the guide 22'immediately in front of the' aforesaid guide 22, the guide 21 imp mediately in front of the aforesaid guidef21,

the idler roller 23, thence over the next Aguides 2l and 22 to the next roller 16 immediately in front of the aforesaid roller 16, thence over the next'guides 22 and 21 to the next idler roller 23 immediately in front of thelast aforesaid idler roller 23, the dis play openingl Whose travel is being traced zigzagingA back and forth until it reaches its starting point at the foremost driving f roller 16. Thus the'display belt travels in a closed path which is mainly zigzag, which it is enabled to do by yreason of the driving bight forming rollers v16 and the driven hight forming rollers 19, 20 and 23, the foremost and rearinost rollers 16 and the rollers 19 and 20 defining a portion of the path lof travel which substantially embraces 'the balance and zigzag portion of the path., All the rollers excepting the rollers 23 desirably have stationary axes of rotation but the rollers 23 are mounted in a frame 24 which may turn upon a shaft25. A spring 26 is looped about the shaft 25, one end of the spring pressingr against a stationary pin 27 While thelother end of the spring presses against a pin 28 carried by 'the pulley frame 24. There is desirably such a spring struetiire at the top and bottom ofthe frame. The springs tend to move the frame 24 in a-counter-clockwise direction and do so move this frame when there is slack in the belt in order that the slack may be taken up. When the belt contracts the spring Will yield to permit of suoli contraction. In this maliner the various stretches of the belt arev formed therein or borne thereby may not be i Warped in'appearance. The tractive engagement between the driving rollers 16 and the belt is thus also maintained substantially uniform so that lthe rate of belt travel may be substantially constant when desired. The

guides 21 and 22 are desirably made of sheet which the belt stretches behind the lamphouso converge. whereby these belt stretches are closely approximated and may move within the narrow space which intervenes betweenthe lamp house and the back Wall of the casing A.

The frame 2ldcsirably includes a scalloped guide wall 29 which is disposed to the left of the rollers 23 and which enables the belt to be properly guided when -the apparatus is being assembled. A similar wall 30 is provided upon the right hand side of the right hand frame 3l that carries the roller 16 and serves ai 'similar purpose. Stationary walls 32 and 33 are provided to define a channel to guide the belt between the rollers 19 and 2O to aid in the assembly of the apparatus, the channel thus defined being desirably tangential to these two rollers.

iVhile l have herein shown and particularly described the preferred embodiment of my invention I do not wish to be limited to the precise details ofconstruction shown as changes may readily be made without departing from the spirit of my invention, but

Having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters APatent the following Display apparatus including a display belt; means forV effecting andl guiding the travel of the belt to afford a forward display stretch and inclusive of two'bight forming elements at- .each end of the apparatus and atl the front thereof around which the belt passes; an additional bight forming element within the space Yaround which the belt is guided; a plurality of additional bight forming elements at each end of the apparatiis around which the belt is passed in a zigzag path; a source of light located to the rear of the display stretch of the belt; a reflector before which he source of light is disposed and serving to reflect the light forwardly; a. body of translucent material inn ioo' terposed between the display belt and the source of light; and a guide structure l0- cated to the rear of the reflector and having than the display stretcl re received and which guide structure closely approximates the said stretches of the belt to reduce the space' to the rear of the reflector required for the belt stretches there passing,

In witness whereof, l hereunto subscribe my naine this twenty-second day of January, A. D., 1915.

Y MAX HEYMANN.

Witnesses G. L. Calico, ETTA L. lViiiTn. 

